When Randy Ambrosie was rolled out as the new commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL), there was a lot of speculation about what kind of leader he’d prove to be. Now we have our answer; he’s a man of action, concerned about the game and the people who pay to watch it.
Coaches’ challenges have been a boon and a bane since they were introduced, the idea being to catch the worst of the worst calls and make them right.
Sadly, it quickly evolved into something more like coaches going on endless fishing trips, looking for any kind of chintzy call to keep a drive alive, or stop an opponent in his tracks.
Last season, then-commissioner Jeffrey Orridge started the fix by eliminating what was essentially a free challenge that didn’t cost a team a time-out, even if they lost. Good, but as it turned out – not good enough.
Fan anger about the endless delays boiled over last weekend when thrillers in Winnipeg and Edmonton ground to a halt as coaches reached for the challenge flag time and again.
Saturday on News Talk 770’s halftime show, Ambrosie acknowledged the problem and said he was already discussing it with people like John Hufnagel. Ambrosie hinted he wasn’t averse to the idea of a mid-season rule change. Today, he acted.
One challenge. Period. No extra challenge if you win the first one. Just like that, the fishing trips go away. Just like that, referees reluctant to throw a flag on a borderline call can’t count on a call to bail them out on a non-call. Turnovers, scoring plays, still automatic reviews.
With one bold move, the commissioner has brought the coach’s challenge back to what it should be; a chance to fix a horrible game-changing mistake. In Ambrosie’s own words from Wednesday’s release:
“We have a super game. Our elite athletes are treating us this year to incredible plays, close contests and even miracle comebacks. Scoring is up, penalties are down, and games are shorter. The last thing we want to have in place is an artificial impediment to our fans’ enjoyment of it all.”
Ambrosie has acted swiftly, decisively, and correctly in the interest of the game and its fans. If the rest of his tenure is like this, it’s good times ahead. I like the cut of this man’s jib, as the old saying goes.
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